QPFIELD 04

iPhone 16 Pro Max — Field Card

The cinema camera in your pocket
QUIET PURSUITS · REV A · JUL 2026
48MP FUSION · APPLE LOG / ProRes · USB-C 10 Gb/s · 256GB+
PRINT: LETTER · LANDSCAPE · 100%
180°SHUTTER RULE

Shutter = 2× frame rate. Set the shutter angle to 180°, then leave it. That blur is the film look. But the stock Camera app can't set shutter, ISO, or white balance — for real manual control you need Final Cut Camera (free). Exposure gets solved below.

Nearest cine steps shown. In a manual app, 180° shutter angle tracks your frame rate automatically. Faster reads crisp; slower reads dreamy.

24 FPS
1/48
25 FPS
1/50
30 FPS
1/60
60 FPS
1/120
100 FPS
1/200
120 FPS
1/240

Exposure & the three locks

Control
  1. Lock White BalanceSettings → Camera → Record Video → Lock White Balance. Stops AWB drift mid-shot.
  2. Lock CameraSame menu — stops the phone auto-switching lenses mid-take.
  3. AE/AF LockTap-and-hold the subject until it locks, or map Camera Control to "Lock Focus and Exposure".
  4. Manual app for full controlFinal Cut Camera for manual ISO / shutter / WB and Apple Log, plus zebra and focus peaking — for waveform-grade exposure scopes, reach for Kino.
Stock app = no manual ISO or shutter

The built-in app gives exposure bias (±2 EV) and locks — not true manual. Lock all three before a take or the image pumps shot-to-shot.

Apple Log & ProRes

Color
  • Dolby Vision HDR (HEVC) — the default pipeline. Deliver-tonight, gorgeous straight out. FAST TURNAROUND
  • Apple Log (ProRes only) — flat, maximum grading latitude. Apple's Log-to-Rec.709 LUT gets you home. GRADED WORK
MIDS SKIN CLIP

Apple Log, not Log 2, and no ProRes RAW — those are the iPhone 17 Pro. ACES is supported (on Apple's spec sheet): grade Apple Log straight into an ACES-managed pipeline.

Formats & frame rates

Shooting
ModeMaxWhere
4K Dolby Vision120pinternal
ProRes / Log 4K30pinternal
ProRes 4K 60/120120pSSD only
Cinematic · Action4K30 · 2.8K60internal
  • 4K120 comes two ways: Dolby Vision (HEVC) records internally; ProRes/Log 4K120 is external-SSD only.
  • Slo-mo: 1080p up to 240; or shoot 4K120 and re-time it in Photos.
  • Internal ProRes tops out at 4K30 — both 4K60 and 4K120 need the SSD.

Recording to SSD

The catch
ProResDrive min≈ Rate
4K 30internal ok6 GB/min
4K 60220 MB/s~13 GB/min
4K 120440 MB/s~25 GB/min
  • The in-box cable is USB 2.0 — it caps you at ~60 MB/s. USB 3 (10 Gb/s) needs a rated cable, or the SSD workflow won't run.
  • exFAT, ≤4.5 W bus power, NVMe-class drive. Reformat before every 4K120 session.
  • One USB-C port — a bare cable feeds one device; a powered hub can run an SSD and a monitor together.

Lenses & framing

Focus
LensEquivSensor
Ultra Wide13mm48MP
Main · Fusion24mm48MP
2× crop48mm12MP
Telephoto 5×120mm12MP
  • Main also frames 28 & 35mm as crops of the 48MP sensor — pick one as your default 1×.
  • Sensor-shift OIS on Main; separate OIS on the 5× tele; Ultra Wide has none.
  • Action mode stabilizes hard for handheld — but caps at 2.8K60 and crops in.

Audio

Sound
  • Four studio mics with a low noise floor — the best audio in an iPhone yet, but still directional-ish. Get close.
  • Spatial Audio is on by default — and it's the prerequisite for Audio Mix. Leave it on.
  • Audio Mix (in Photos, after the take): In-Frame, Studio, Cinematic, or Standard — reshape voice vs room after the fact.
  • Wind reduction is automatic, but a dead-cat on a clip-mic still wins outdoors. Deliver at −14 LUFS.

Pocket-cinema truths

Field
  1. Lock all three. White balance, camera, exposure — or the phone re-decides mid-shot.
  2. Manual app for real work. Final Cut Camera gives you shutter, ISO, Apple Log, and zebra.
  3. Log to the SSD. ProRes 4K60+ is external-only; carry the drive and a real USB 3 cable.
  4. Reformat before 4K120. Apple requires it each session — offload first, then wipe.
  5. Power is the limit. "33 hr" is playback; capture + SSD drains fast. Bring a PD battery.
  6. Hold ten. Static shots feel long behind the phone and short in the edit.
  7. Level is law. Use the grid and level; a phone tilts more than you think.
  8. Audio is half the film. Get the mic close or clip one on; deliver −14 LUFS.
  9. Shoot for the edit. If you can't name the cut a shot serves, skip it.
  10. Light is still king. A tiny sensor clips highlights fast — keep the golden-hour discipline.

Field gotchas

Setup
  • That cable. The one in the box is USB 2.0 — it silently caps SSD writes at ~60 MB/s and blocks ProRes 4K. Buy a 10 Gb/s cable.
  • Battery ≠ playback spec. 33 hr is video playback; sustained 4K/ProRes with an SSD attached drains far faster.
  • Heat throttles. Long 4K120-ProRes takes run hot; the phone may warn, dim, and pause. Keep it cool, out of the sun.
  • 10% free to record ProRes internally — under 5 min left and the camera starts purging. Record to SSD to dodge it.
  • No Log 2, no ProRes RAW. Those are the iPhone 17 Pro — don't promise a client a spec this body doesn't have. (Apple Log and ACES, it does have.)

Pre-roll — before you hit record

Field
  1. FPS
  2. Shutter 180°
  3. WB lock
  4. Camera lock
  5. AE/AF lock
  6. Format · SSD
  7. Level
  8. REC

The phone wants to decide everything for you. Lock it down first — the whole point of the Pro is that you get to choose.